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Wanting to try something new but worried about being the newbie? Women’s Muay Thai beginners course

If you’re a woman who’s been wanting to try Muay Thai but felt a bit overwhelmed at being the newbie, then this course is for you, as you’ll all be there for the first time! We are so excited to announce that we have 4 new women’s only beginners courses running in the coming weeks.

On top of that it’s HALF PRICE! 

There are just 10 spaces left so grab one now and make the positive change you’ve been waiting for.

4 week course – women’s only
Usually £49, Now £24.50

Start Date:  Monday 6th February
Time: 7pm
Duration: 1 hour session over 4 weeks
Location: Finsbury, EC1V 3PU
Cost:  Usually £49, now half price only £24.50
How to book:   BOOK NOW! 

Our other locations are currently fully booked, however if you do start at one of these locations and wish to move across when a place becomes available, you’ll get first priority before non-members.

What will I need?
As this is a beginners course we urge you not to rush out and buy equipment from local stores, as firstly you won’t be able to use it in our classes, but also because it might not be suitable for Muay Thai.  You will of course have even more fun if you do have the equipment, but we’d like to welcome you first to see if you like it.
You don’t need to bring anything but a bottle of water to your first class, however if you already think that you’d like to continue, then you first investments should be and if you wish to order the link is here:
You also won’t need insurance during your 4 week beginners course, and we can go through that with you more if you enjoy your sessions.

If you do order from us please choose:
Hand Wraps
Ankle Supports
Gloves
Focus Pads

We can’t wait to welcome you to your first class and are here to support you on your journey,

Keep inspiring as you never know who’s feeling inspired by your choices, we can’t wait to meet you.

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Women’s Only 4 weeks beginners Muay Thai London Queen’s Park

We have an exciting opportunity for a 4 week women’s only beginners course in Muay Thai 

If you’re looking to make a positive change for mind and body but have been worried about being the ‘newbie’ that has no idea what they’re doing, then this is for you. Our women’s only complete beginners course willl teach you the core skills of Muay Thai from scratch, and even better you’ll be amongst other women all trying the class for their first time too.  Muay Thai is the original form of kickboxing, and is known as the art of 8 limbs, including strikes with fists, elbows, knees and shins.  Come and try, you’ve nothing to loose!

Please check availability and book on below

 

Location Maqam Centre, Queens Park (London)
Start Date Tuesday 17th October
Time 7.40pm
Duration 1 hour, for 4 weeks
Price £49 special offer
Availability 3 spaces left
Book Now! 4-week beginners’ course £49 4 weeks Queens Park 

What will I need?
As this is a beginners course we urge you not to rush out and buy equipment from local stores, as firstly you won’t be able to use it in our classes, but also because it might not be suitable for Muay Thai.
You don’t need to bring anything but a bottle of water to your first class, however if you already think that you’d like to continue, then you first investments should be:

Hand Wraps
Ankle Supports
Gloves
Focus Pads

We can’t wait to welcome you to your first class and are here to support you on your journey,

Keep inspiring as you never know who’s feeling inspired by your choices,

Khadijah Safari

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Combat Collective X Safari MMA Women’s Muay Thai

We are so excited to have joined forces with Combat Collective and Kaz Crossley to offer 4 weeks of women’s only Muay Thai in an all female environment. So if you like the sound of learning some awesome moves and having the opportunity to meet Kaz Crossley at one of the sessions, then sign up now before the places go!

To book on just click ‘book now’ below, next to the location you’d like, the sessions run once and week for 1 hour, and are super fun, welcoming, and perfect if you’d like to try Muay Thai for the first time with other like minded women.

Locations available:
Birmingham and Milton Keynes

Location: Milton Keynes, MK1 1ED – Only 4 spaces left
Start Date: Tuesday 12th July
Time: 7pm
Price: £60 for full 4 weeks
How to book:  Book Now!

Location: Birmingham, B19 2XN – Only 2 spaces left
Start Date: Sunday 10th July
Time: 10am
Price: £60 for full 4 weeks
How to book:  Book Now!

 

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Muay Thai Classes for Young Carers

Did you know that there are 6.5 million carers in the UK? 800,000 of them are young carers aged 5-17 years old. Whilst navigating their own life, growing up, attending school and trying to be a kid, they are also caring for another person full time. It is a full-time job that is placed upon young shoulders who sometimes are not offered the rest bite and help they require and need.  

 

Which is why we are excited to announce that we have teamed up with MK Carers to offer young carers free Muay Thai classes at our Safari Health Hub located in Bletchley! 

 

Here at Safari MMA, we are dedicated to helping the disengaged groups, the groups of people who are overlooked and often forgotten about. We want to equip them and support them in as many ways as we can and one of the ways we do this is through martial arts. 

 

We are currently running our Male Young Carers class on Wednesdays at 6-7pm and Female Young Carers class on Friday’s at 4:30-5:30pm.  

 

Our classes are designed to help carers take the mental escape from always being on, available and putting others needs first. These classes help carers to put their physical wellbeing first by enjoying the physical benefits of Muay Thai whilst also putting their mental wellness first and escaping the endless thoughts that flood their brain by concentrating and focusing on the moves and technique required in MMA.  

 

If you know any young carers who would benefit from this opportunity, please contact MK Carers or us! We look forward to seeing you.

 

 

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MMA for Women

What is MMA?
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a hybrid of combat sports and martial arts, combining techniques from Jiu Jitsu (grappling, chokes and locks), Boxing (punches), Kickboxing(elbows, knees and kicks), Wrestling (takedowns and submissions) and many other disciplines. It is trained for competitive or self defence reasons. There are many benefits to training in MMA including improved fitness and hand-eye coordination, increased confidence and learning how to apply the techniques in self defence scenarios.

Read this blog on how MMA specifically benefits women.

MMA and Self-defence
MMA is considered as the closest discipline for self-defence. It is widely ranked top 3 in Self-defence blogs and articles.

As you may already know, self-defence has many elements to it such as emotional intelligence, preventative measures and physical techniques for escape. As attackers can grab and strike you, you need to know not only how to strike, but a means to escape holds, etc. So MMA is a perfect mix of techniques to practice ways to strike, escape holds and how to defend yourself if the fight goes to the ground.

Street fights usually end up on the floor but it’s not a position you want to be in. Essentially self-defence highlights the importance of staying on your feet. Therefore kickboxing is a great way to learn how to utilise your limbs in a stand up fight with strikes using the hands, feet, elbows and knees.

 

Why women should train in MMA..
Women are getting more into MMA for self-defence reasons. Learning how to defend yourself is an essential life skill for women in particular. In the UK, 1 in 4 women will experience domestic abuse and 1 in 5 sexual assault during her lifetime. Globally, this rises to 1 in 3. That’s a third of women that will experience some form of assault or abuse globally!

These statistics shed light to the importance of learning MMA. As a woman, our self-development journey involves becoming more confident and stronger in whatever we do- not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally.

Read this blog on 8 strong reasons why women should join MMA.

 

So what’s stopping you?
Limitations can include perception of the discipline; with it being portrayed by the media as a competitive, commercialised sport and the misconception of it being a ‘mans’ sport as the industry is dominated by men. This aids in dispelling the notion of MMA being a viable option for women and so discourages women from joining local combat sport clubs.

Accessibility is also an issue as MMA and combat sports can be demoralising. For instance, some days you can feel you’re not getting something out of it or you’re burning yourself out, trying to match your male partner’s strength. Having other women to practice technique with is encouraging and can keep you going.

Female representation in MMA organisations is the turning point to whether females will thrive in the sport. Whether they are on the board of advisers or training, seeing a woman around will help you relate and see it as a stronger option, whereas lack of female representation will have an opposite effect.

 

How to start?
Many go through the route of boxing and kickboxing first before getting comfortable with grappling and ground work. Top level MMA athletes have a base discipline such as Ronda Rousey with Judo before taking up other disciplines and making use of them all in her MMA career.

If you prefer to train in a womens only setting, Safari MMA has got you covered! Providing accessibility with many locations and an abundance in female representation. From a female CEO and a female led team, the perception of MMA and combat sports is diminished!

Read this blog about the importance of finding a gym with women involved.

Check out Safari MMA for kickboxing classes with many locations and wellness classes all catered to uplift your wellness levels and give you the means to defend yourself if you have to.

Safari MMA

Safari Health Hub

The first month is half price! £18 Only. Then £36 from the second month onwards.

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Multifactorial Approach to Wellness

What is Wellness?

Wellness is the active process of practicing healthy habits daily whilst being aware of choices that lead to a healthy lifestyle. Consistently working towards a successful and thriving existence.¹

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), health is defined as being ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’.²

This definition demonstrates how closely related well-being is to health!

 

Multidimensional approach

There are several dimensions to wellness that impact health.

7 factors that impact wellness are below:

 

1) Physical

Physical Wellness is taking care of your body by being aware and listening to it for optimal health and functioning. Many factors influence physical health such as sleep, nutrition, hygiene, physical activity, and relaxation.³

Read more on here for ideas on how to increase physical wellness.

 

2) Emotional

Psychology Today defines emotional well-being as ‘the ability to practice stress-management techniques, be resilient, and generate the emotions that lead to good feelings’.⁴

Emotional wellness encompasses your emotions, thoughts, and ability to deal with life’s challenges on a daily basis. Components of emotional health also contribute to mental well-being. Essentially, these include individual factors involved in emotional regulation.

Learning how to accept, cope with emotions and appropriately communicate feelings, helps maintain not just positive mental health, but physical and social health also!

 

3) Mental

As we know, mental health is just as important as physical health!

Mental wellbeing doesn’t have a specific meaning. It can be talking about how we feel (emotional wellbeing), what we think is possible at that time and how we’re coping with daily life.

Good mental wellbeing can mean we’re coping with life well but doesn’t always mean we’re happy or are unaffected by daily experiences. However, poor mental wellbeing can make it more challenging to cope with daily life.⁵

Mindfulness is great for the mind and body. You can practice mindfulness by taking a moment and considering how you’re feeling. The more aware you’re of your thoughts, the better you’re at reacting to stressful situations (emotional intelligence).

Refer to the Mind website for more tips.

 

4) Social

Obtaining healthy social well-being is an important aspect of your general well-being. It is a great way to improve physical and mental health, therefore providing you with a better quality of life.⁶

Remember, it’s okay to ask for help! Engaging with your community brings about a sense of belonging and inclusion. Take some time to catch up with people that are important to you.

 

5) Occupational

Occupational (or career) wellbeing has many aspects to it. An occupation involves how you spend (occupy) your time daily. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a paid career, but also includes volunteer work, domestic duties, university and many other activities.⁷

Essentially, if you have strong occupational well-being, you will generally be happier and inspired in your daily life. It encompasses feeling good about the work you’re doing and whether your career option suits you and interests you.⁸

Read more on how to assess your occupational wellbeing.

 

6) Intellectual

Intellectual wellness values lifelong learning and involves having an open mind to new ideas and experiences.

It plays a major part in self-development. An intellectually well person will happily seek challenges, think critically, and find ways to be creative. This will allow them to improve and grow as an individual.⁹

 

7) Spiritual

Spiritual wellness can be defined as the search within your inner self by taking time to stop doing and start being. This can be done by keeping away from modern distractions such as technology. Spiritual well-being may include being involved in a religion, walks in nature, or other reflective moments.¹⁰

 

More dimensions of wellness include financial and environmental wellbeing.

Starting with small changes within each dimension of wellbeing and taking it one day at a time by making simple and healthy choices on a daily basis, will allow you to progress in life by achieving optimal wellness levels.

 

Safari MMA

Safari Health Hub

The first month is half price! £18 Only. Then £36 from the second month onwards.

 

References

1) Pfizer. (2020). What is wellness. Available: https://www.pfizer.com/health-wellness/wellness/what-is-wellness. Last accessed 23rd Jun 2021.

2) NWI. (2021). The six dimension of wellness. Available:https://nationalwellness.org/resources/six-dimensions-of-wellness/. Last accessed 23rd Jun 2021.

3) Hoebeke, V. (2015). 5 Key Aspects of Physical Wellness. Available:https://www.rtor.org/2015/07/09/physical-wellness/. Last accessed 23rd Jun 2021.

4) Friedheim, D. (2021). What is Emotional Well-Being?. Available: https://www.betteryou.ai/what-is-emotional-well-being/. Last accessed 23rd Jun 2021.

5) Mind. (2020). How to improve your mental wellbeing. Available:https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/wellbeing/wellbeing/. Last accessed 23rd Jun 2021.

6) UNH. (2021). The Wellness Wheel. Available: https://www.unh.edu/health/wellness-wheel. Last accessed 23rd Jun 2021.

7) Wellbeing People. (2021). Occupational Health. Available:https://www.wellbeingpeople.com/occupational-health/. Last accessed 23rd Jun 2021.

8) Dallard, R. (2017). Occupational Wellbeing. Available: https://www.wellbeingtherapyspace.com.au/occupational-wellbeing. Last accessed 23rd Jun 2021.

9) WSU. (2021). Intellectual Wellness. Available: https://www.weber.edu/studentwellness/intellectual.html. Last accessed 23rd Jun 2021.

10) Leyes, K. (2020). Why Spiritual Development is Important For Business. Available: https://thriveglobal.com/stories/why-spiritual-development-is-important-for-business/. Last accessed 23rd Jun 2021.

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Our Strategy to return

So if you’ve been following our progress you’ll know that 2021 is set up to be a made or break year, but that doesn’t mean we’re sitting back waiting to see what happens.  Absolutely not, we have developed a fantastic strategy plan, which with some support will get us through the coming months.

The problem we face is that when tiered systems return and social distancing is in place, we are faced with higher costs and less income as we can only cater for less than half of our members.  To be able to keep social distancing in place in a COVID-19 secure manner we have to keep 15 minutes aside either side of classes which means that we have longer hire costs.  We are not able to offer pad work so our equipment sales have dramatically dropped and there is no grading allowed, not to mention that when our team start taking on more hours the Furlough support is reduced, and by the end of March it could be gone altogether!

The way forward

The way forward for us to survive during social distanced tiered systems is to be able to increase our number of classes to be able to let more numbers in.  This does come at a cost not just from the overall logistical costs, but also through the management and facilitating of the classes, quite often people don’t really how many office hours go in to the set up and running of classes.

So in response to the need to be able to able to offer more classes, and focus on other areas online to bring in more revenue we will in fact be increasing the size of our team with the support of the government Kickstart Scheme, to bring in 6 new positions to allow us to focus on our online work and presence, manage more locations, and potentially look at premises that will mean that we don’t need to worry about the cost of running more classes because we will have a flat rate fee to pay regardless of class numbers or sizes.  For many it may sound ironic that we are trying to grow the team during a crisis, but it is in fact the only way to survive, as by cutting the team size would result in the need to close classes, a move that would mean we’d lose our members.   And now is not a time to be removing sporting activity from peoples lives.

Your support matters

If you have not already see our Go Fund Me campaign, then now is your chance to support, and if you’re not able to help financially it doesn’t cost a penny just to share and raise awareness.

https://gofund.me/0be8a70a

We promise to give back more than we’ve ever received in help, and are feeling extremely optimistic about the future.  We are fighters and will fight until the end to keep serving our community.

 

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Safari MMA faces collapse if current climate doesn’t change

There is a chance for you to help by visiting our GoFundMe Campaign and sharing it with friends and family

GoFundMe – View Campaign to help

100% Donation Policy

Link to share: https://www.gofundme.com/manage/safari-mma-faces-collapse-sports-club/

It is no understatement to say that Safari MMA has literally saved lives, and this very platform which has taken 10 years of dedicated work to engage communities across the UK who ordinarily wouldn’t participate in sport, is on the brink of collapse.  Before the first lockdown Safari MMA was spread across 11 locations in major cities in the UK.

Safari MMA is in critical need of financial support, with no idea of when lockdowns will lift, and when classes will be able to return without social distancing in place.  The forecast for the next financial year, without support or a full lift of social distancing, is set for the company to collapse with a forecasted loss of £49,292 for 2021-2022, a debt that would cost not only jobs, but hundreds of members to lose the one thing that has kept them going for so many years.

Why Safari MMA needs your support?

The team’s main goal is to engage the disengaged groups in the community in sport, primarily, but not exclusively through Martial Arts, with specialist focus on trying to engage women and youth who ordinarily wouldn’t consider getting involved in sport, or more importantly have cultural barriers where sport is seen inappropriate for women to be involved in.  Khadijah Safari has spent the past 10 years breaking down barriers by working within these communities herself, as a woman of religious belief she’s been able to successfully educate and lead a change in community’s understanding of sport and has brought about a shift in the way the sport is viewed by the BAME community and also women of religious belief.  The work has since far extended part this to bring focus on out-reach work, helping with mental health prevention, socio-economic groups, victims of domestic violence, concern for youth, crime prevention and self belief in children.  Safari MMA has been running online live sessions during this period at a cost, just to keep people active, however the period of needing to open when lockdowns lift will come at a further cost, as social distancing will mean that running costs are higher, with less members being able to attend class, meaning that classes run at an expense.  If we can get support during this transition period then we can come out healthy on the other side.

Who you’d be helping?   

For the majority of members at Safari MMA, there is no alternative.  This is their only means to access sport in an environment that considers their needs, where they feel mentally safe and can unite and feel equal in society.  To keep Safari MMA running would mean keeping the one place open, for many that gets them through their week, and more often than not is their therapy.  You’d not only keep the company running but you’d also be assisting those members and potential members who due to current circumstances are not able to afford to train, from children through to adults, many of whom are extremely vulnerable.

Your contribution matters

As we see sports clubs crumbling by the day as a result of this pandemic, we will fight and do all that we can to keep Safari MMA open, and your contribution could bring reward for you for many years to come, as you’ll never know how much you really could have changed someone’s life for the better.

And if you can’t afford to contribute?  Please just share with friends and family, your time is appreciated.

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